Events

On January 17, 2024, community members gathered at the Kitchener Public Library for the community Town Hall, led by Mark Fam, President of St. Mary’s General Hospital, and Ron Gagnon, President and CEO of Grand River Hospital. As part of a regional series, the event aimed to foster collaborative discussions, encouraging a community-wide dialogue about the future of healthcare. Attendees engaged in a Q&A session emphasizing community involvement, with the event hosted by Ashnoor Rahim, Executive Director of KW4 Ontario Health Team, and moderated by Sandra Hanmer, Board Chair of Grand River Hospital.

On June 20th the Seniors' Health Fair was hosted in a joint initiative between City of Waterloo and KW4 Ontario Health Team. The aim of the event was to provide opportunity to both seniors and caregivers to learn more about various community programs, social service and health agencies in the Waterloo community that help older adults remain healthy, active and connected.

On Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 over 45 clinicians joined together to increase engagement and connection across the clinician community. Primary care, specialists, nurse practitioners, midwives, and hospital leadership met, and learned about: The Orthopedic Assessment Centre, the Regional Eye Clinic, clinical pathways being developed in our region, the expanded scope for midwives, and an introduction to the newly open patient portal on CERNER. The attendees split into 3 groups to discuss how we can effect change and improve medical care in our region.

The KW4 OHT held an Annual Member Governance Symposium on April 24, 2023. The symposium was a joint effort hosted by KW4 OHT and Optimus SBR. Over 40 people attended the event, including KW4 OHT members and partners, community representatives, and facilitators. The event aimed to review the current state of KW4 OHT, identify changes in governance, and ensure alignment of its purpose statement with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health direction.

On February 23, 2023, KW4 OHT held their second Town Hall. The event drew community members together to support priority projects for 2022-24 that address key health and wellness challenges faced by residents in the KW4 priority neighbourhoods. Attends hear from our Project Managers, Aderonke Saba, Kayode Ajumobi, and Rebecca Petricevic, on how the community can become involved in our priority projects.

On October 19, the KW4 OHT and Alzheimer's Society held an informative virtual community event. Alzheimer's Society members discussed Alzheimer's disease and dementia types, their characteristics, and available support resources. This event aimed to raise awareness and strengthen the KW4 community.

On April 21st, May 18th, May 31st, and June 15th, KW4 OHT along with Optimus SBR, hosted a series of workshops to assist with the identification of target population, creation of patient personas, co-design of integrated care pathways. The results from the workshops will contribute to the Neighbourhood Integrated Care Team initiative.

On May 24th, 2023, relevant primary care professionals met to discuss the potential of development of a Provider Care Networks (PCNs) in KW4. (CNs have emerged as a tool for primary care providers in Ontario to organize themselves within Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). Breakout groups were hosted to discuss: What should a PCN look like in our catchment?, How can we use a PCN to influence decision-making in the local health care system for future benefits and improvements?, How can we approach and get buy in from your peers and colleagues to sign up for a formal network?

The KW4 Ontario Health Team held their third community engagement event on March 23rd, 2023, focusing on governance and patient journey mapping. The objective of the meeting was to provide an overview of the Ontario Health Team and ongoing projects, as well as gather feedback from participants to identify areas for improvement.

The KW4 Ontario Health Team invited community members to attend a virtual Town Hall on the evening of January 12, 2023. Community members from 47 different organizations within the KW4 region. The main objective of the event was to inform the community about the KW4 Ontario Health Team (OHT) and bring awareness to the 2022-2024 projects, the KW4 OHT aims to deliver with the community.